Our study was devoted to determine in freely moving rats whether the increase in tissue concentration of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) elicited by a single administration of RU 24722 could modify the catecholaminergic reactivity of neuronal processes present in the rostrolateral part of the pericerulean area (r-lPCA) in response to tail pinch. Catecholaminergic activity was monitored by measuring in vivo the concentration of dopamine metabolite 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC) using microdialysis coupled to HPLC detection. In this study, the microdialysis probe was implanted at a sufficient distance from the lateral border of rostral nucleus locus ceruleus (LC) to avoid a large contribution of the noradrenergic cell bodies in the measurements performed. We first evidenced that DOPAC measured in the r-lPCA indicated the functional state of catecholaminergic metabolism in neuronal processes (dendrites and fibers) laying in this region. We also showed that the enhancement of TH protein concentration in the r-lPCA following RU 24722 treatment supported an increased in vivo catecholaminergic metabolism in this region. Furthermore, catecholaminergic metabolism response to tail pinch was potentiated in animals with greater TH tissue concentration. Thus, our study reveals that the modulation of both TH concentration and catecholaminergic metabolism in the r-lPCA may be critical in the functioning of cells and neuronal elements present in this region, notably in adaptive responses to noxious stimuli.
